Vikings lose in final minutes

SEATTLE - No matter how they tried, the Coeur d'Alene Vikings could not put away the Bothell Cougars.

Bothell quarterback Ross Bowers threw for four touchdowns, including the game winner with 1:50 left in a 44-43 come-from-behind win over Coeur d'Alene in the Emerald City Kickoff Classic at Husky Stadium on Saturday.

The win marred a fantastic game by Viking senior quarterback Gunnar Amos, who threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 55 yards and two scores.

"It was really tough," Amos said. "We shot ourselves in the foot (with) penalties and turnovers. They're a very, very good football team and they made us pay with the mistakes we made. We can't make those (and expect to win)."

The Vikings (1-1) got off to a rough start when Samuel McPherson of Bothell took the opening kickoff back 88 yards for the score.

But Coeur d'Alene got it going late in the first quarter when senior cornerback Jackson Carlson intercepted an overthrow by Bowers. It eventually led to a 1-yard sneak by Amos.

The Vikings capitalized on two Cougar turnovers in the second quarter, as a sack and strip of Bowers led to a 37-yard touchdown from Amos to Chase Blakley, who has verbally committed to the University of Washington. Bothell fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, and it took three plays for Amos to score his second rushing touchdown of the half.

Bothell, in its season opener, countered with Bowers throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Dayzell Wilson, but Amos rounded out a good first half with a 18-yard completion to senior wideout Addison Johnson on fourth down, then junior running back Drew Berger took it in from 3 yards out.

"Going into halftime we felt good," Amos said. "Last week we struggled in the first half so this week we came out firing."

Bothell came out firing in the third, as Bowers completed touchdown passes of 24 and 23 yards, respectively, to senior wide receiver Colton Sather and Wilson to tie the game up.

"It was a game of swings," Coeur d'Alene coach Shawn Amos said. "We went back and forth with each other. Neither team could keep up the momentum."

The Vikings recovered enough to retake the lead as Gunnar Amos hit Blakley for a 7-yard score. Amos did it all on the next drive as he made plays with his feet and hands. It culminated in a 6-yard run by Berger, but the two-point conversion failed.

That started a run of misfortune for Coeur d'Alene, starting with a turnover in the red zone that resulted in a 1-yard score by sophomore running back Damani St. John.

After a penalty and a sack on the Vikings' next drive, it took all of one play for the Cougars to capitalize, as Bowers put one right in the hands of Sather over two defenders for the 39-yard score.

Coeur d'Alene tried to recover, but Amos threw a pick on the next drive, then Johnson was stripped of the ball on the last drive as he tried to fight for more yards.

"It was two evenly matched teams, and they made the big play at the end," Shawn Amos said. "That's what it came down to."

Coeur d'Alene plays host to Skyline of Sammamish, Wash., next Friday. Skyline, the defending Washington 4A champion, lost to defending Washington 3A champ Bellevue on Saturday night in the final game of the Emerald City Kickoff Classic.

Coeur d'Alene 8 22 7 7 - 43

Bothell 7 7 16 14 - 44

Both - Samuel McPherson 88 kickoff return (Steven Weedin kick)

Cd'A - Gunnar Amos 1 run (Chase Blakley pass from Amos)

Cd'A - Blakley 37 pass from Amos (Drew Berger run)

Cd'A - Amos 9 run (Blakley pass from Amos)

Both - Dayzell Wilson 17 pass from Ross Bowers (Weedin kick)

Cd'A - Berger 3 run (pass failed)

Both - Colton Sather 24 pass from Bowers (Sather pass from Bowers)

Both - Wilson 23 pass from Bowers (Weedin rush)

Cd'A - Blakley 7 pass from Amos (Cole Williams kick)

Cd'A - Berger 6 run (rush failed)

Both - Damani St. John 1 run (Weedin kick)

Both - Sather 39 pass from Bowers (Weedin kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - Both, McPherson 13-73, St. John 11-52, Bowers 10-19. Cd'A, Berger 8-58, Amos 10-55, Holgate 4-30, Green 6-27.

PASSING - B, Bowers 20-41-1-274. Cd'A, Amos 25-41-2-267.

RECEIVING - B, Sather 4-84, Wilson 4-58, Gale 3-49, Croson 3-31. Cd'A, Blakley 7-98, Johnson 5-56, Carlson 5-46, Green 2-18.